Tragedy and triumph — the fascinating life of Olivia Newton-John
09.08.2022 - 20:39
/ msn.com
Olivia Newton-John died aged 73 on Monday morning from breast cancer. Hollywood greats have been paying their respects to the musical icon, including her co-star in the classic film, John Travolta who captioned it, ‘Your Danny’ in reference to his character. While the singer saw massive success in her career, her personal life wasn’t always so easy.
From her cancer diagnosis in 1992, the loss of a lover who vanished at sea and her daughter’s struggle with the pressure of having a famous mother, the singer’s journey was punctuated by some difficulties. However, having dedicated much of her life to breast cancer awareness and raising money for the cause, she, in her second husband John Easterling’s words became ‘a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. ’ Announcing her death on Facebook, he said she passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends at her ranch in southern California.
Newton-John was born in Cambridge in 1948 before moving to Australia aged six. Her father was a British spy during World War Two and her mother was the daughter of the German Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Max Born. She had her heart set on a career in music even when she was a teen and aged 15 won an Australian TV talent contest called Sing, Sing, Sing.
She had success with her second single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s If Not For You, which reached the top 10 in the UK and Australia before representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Long Live Love in 1974 (when ABBA won). But her big break came when she played Sandy in the musical Grease, which was the biggest box-office hit of 1978. The role propelled her to superstardom and her character became iconic.
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